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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23650873">Fearal;Ephemeral</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicrt/pseuds/dustybunnyplots'>dustybunnyplots (nicrt)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Clones, Dystopia, Falling In Love, HQ Rarepair Bang 2020, Inspired by Music, M/M, Multi, Science Fiction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:20:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,480</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23650873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicrt/pseuds/dustybunnyplots</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He hadn't realised it until too late, when there were arms wrapping around his shoulders. When a hand placed itself onto the back of his head, stroking his cropped hair. When a chin - too sharp, too bony - nestled on his shoulder, hair tickling his ear. When he's pulled closer, deeper into the embrace, Kei didn't know what to do.</p>
<p>Crow hummed. "Shoyou said he used to hug his sister when she was upset. It...helped her calm down."</p>
<p>
  <em>Shoyou. You talk as if you were different from him.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>moments written in snapshots, from a life, living on the run</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Iwaizumi Hajime, Hinata Shouyou/Tsukishima Kei, Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>HQ Rarepair Bang 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Summary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missicle/gifts">Missicle</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zfr3Q">
  <strong>OR</strong>
</p>
<p class="zfr3Q">20XX. Japan. The only livable city is furnished for the rich; everyone else scrapes by, barely, in order to live.</p>
<p class="zfr3Q">There is only one rule in this era: survive or perish. Be the predator or become prey.</p>
<p class="zfr3Q">Kei doesn't have friends. Kei has contacts. People who help people for their own sake and with a transaction on the line. So he isn't worried for the best runner of their crew - Hinata. He's more worried about that clone of his, Crow. The one who has one mission: to kill Hinata.</p>
<p class="zfr3Q">When Kuroo looks at Cat, he sees all of his past choices. Some he regrets; some that were mistakes. When Kuroo looks at Lev, he sees himself. All of his potential and all of his ghosts. When Kuroo sees Sawamura Daichi, he looks for something he thought he'd lost a long time ago. Hope.</p>
<p class="zfr3Q">Hajime is many things. Efficient. Dedicated. Strong, fast, agile, and adept. Always ready, always prepared. It's why he's the best. It's why he's one of the few allowed to hunt the hunted and the hunters. But nothing about a brute like Hajime, could ever compare to someone as brilliant as Akaashi. What was a beast hunter to a monster tamer, after all?</p>
<p class="zfr3Q">With Scylla after them, the Ephemerals are forced to flee. But they can only run so far before their Fearals catch and kill them all. It was only a matter of time...</p>
<p class="zfr3Q">...and a question of: would they?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. CROW</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>you’re not a fearal yet; not until you can kill your other self without question.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The first time you met them, you had to kill them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That had been the goal, the ideal, and the mission drilled into you. Every day and every minute spent on you, training you and testing you, to become the best of all humanity, had led up to this moment. Because you were bred to be better, smarter, faster, and stronger. Nothing else mattered, except for this moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In order to be the better man, you had to kill the original.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was nowhere near as good as you; he stumbled a lot and talked too much. A runner was supposed to be quick and quiet; efficient, or else they'd get caught by other rogue militia. Hinata Shoyou was anything but quiet. He was chatty with his team, constantly pulling them into a conversation or argument. Usually the latter, with the sniper of their team. He was just very loud as he darted about, looking for machines to scrap or wares to salvage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You wondered how far he had to go to come to this point and of how good he actually was; if he could afford to be so laid back to survive in a broken world like this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On this day, you found out how. On this day, you met him - blade to blade, punch for punch, claw against claw. On this day, you chased him - through shattered windows and damaged walls, atop of crumbling roofs and on broken flooring. A chase that spanned across the ruined city and didn't seem to have an end in sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was thrilling. It was glorious. It was fun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had him surrounded in the end. Those Scylla foot soldiers under Oikawa's command. You'd been elated, overjoyed, thrilled by the fact that someone out there could match up to him in ways he didn't think of fine. But your handler liked to be nosy with your endeavors.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't want my favoured little Crow to lose out against his Ephemeral with his own team~!" he would say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You called bullshit. He wanted in on this because of the sniper; Kageyama Tobio. Former Scylla sweeper; an Ephemeral, a survivor. Just like Oikawa, he'd managed to kill his Fearal before it killed him. There was history there, in this seemingly one-sided obsession. Something about Kageyama aggravated Oikawa. Hence, the legion of Scylla soldiers with him. But these were things you weren't in the position to say out loud though. Things you shouldn't actually know of. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So you kept silent. Watched, as you always did. Your Ephemeral - Hinata Shoyou, the one you were created from, the imperfect original to your perfected version - was being cornered like the wild animal he tended to act like. Hands raised in surrender but eyes darting about, looking for escape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...no. Not escape. There was no give in the wall of soldiers surrounding him. He was looking for something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Someone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How's Tobio-chan doing, by the way?" Oikawa asked, politely mocking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata Shoyou's eyes darted back to Oikawa. Wide and unafraid; calculating. You were reminded then, that this was a Hinata Shoyou that had outlived enough danger to be comfortable out alone on the field. You felt yourself tense up, as if your haunches were raised and your feathers bristled at the thought of danger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And you were reminded too, that Hinata Shoyou, was never alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Ephemeral smiled. Bright and mischievous.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why don't you ask him yourself?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And in the second the shot rang out, your Ephemeral was moving. Like a crow taking flight, in a flurry of feathers. The bullet lodged itself into the head of one soldier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then another. And one other. One by one, at a speed only comprehensible to those like Oikawa and yourself, the soldiers dropped like flies. Oikawa cursed but grinned maniacally, DMR at the ready and already firing back. The flash of orange-like hair caught your eye. Dodging the precision bullets being fired back and forth, you chased after Hinata Shoyou; your heart racing once more, at the thrill of learning more about him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Electricity sparked before your eyes. The split second warning before you jumped back, away from the sudden electric net that formed right before you. Beyond, you could see Hinata Shoyou running. Away. Further, and further. Until he disappeared in a distance of ruin and shadows. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The knife was out of your hand and lodged into one of the floating drones before their master could react. As soon as the machine dropped, a heavy thud on the dusty ground, the others scattered away. You listened. The bullets have stopped firing. The dead city was silent once more, save for the gleeful cackling Oikawa was making under his breath. You stepped forward, towards the now broken drone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had no markings. No telltale signs on who made or manufactured it. It wasn't cobbled together but it wasn't perfect in design either. But it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>perfect. Enough to have snuck up on you without warning. Adrenaline, excitement, or something other coursed through your veins. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You couldn't wait to face these people once more.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. GAMES</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kuroo hated playing a game of cat &amp; mouse; unfortunately, this was his life.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Gatling Games. One of Scylla's prominent investments is out here in Charybdis. An entire region cordoned off for a battle royale tournament. The winners get the loot and prize; the losers get dropped dead. Around for nearly a decade now, this was where both the lucky and the desperate go to for some kind of reward or other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was also a good place to look for new recruits.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cat had been keeping an eye on one particular contestant even, lately. Something Tetsu had noticed, but didn't comment on. What Cat did, he did it because he was made to do it. And Tetsu was here to merely play the overseer. If need be, he'd play the executioner as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(The guilt roared and reared its ugly head once more, threatening to pull him under and swallow him whole.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were greeted by the enforcer of the Games' headquarters and surprisingly, the Fearal-Handler duo stationed here, once the helicopter landed. Shinsuke nodded at them in greeting before gesturing to them to follow. Fox smirked down at Cat, making a comment about what had finally spurred him on to stretch his legs. Cat merely gave him a deadpanned face and told him to mind his own business. Fox's handler, Miya Osamu, pursed his lips in disdain at his Fearal's antics but kept quiet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Tetsu wondered if Miya Osamu felt the same way he did. Guilt-ridden, constantly at odds with himself. Always hateful, always bitter, always in spite. But they could never do more than what they were doing right now.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Obelisk was the control tower for the Games. Here, Cat could view all the activities of each contestant. Shinsuke brought up the feed of the one he'd been made aware of: Haiba Lev. Barely out of his teens, but he and his squad had already left an impressive mark on the scoreboard. Cat watched with vested interest, eyeing his movements and judging his choices as he ran about the terrain. Tetsu could see when Cat was interested in this one; he had raw talent and the makings of a good soldier. Stubborn, but he also listened well, given his communication with his team. He was quick on his feet and improvised often, but his instincts were sharp.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All in all, the makings of an Ephemeral.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(No. No, Cat... he wouldn't... how... how could he?)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Tetsurou buried these emotions and thoughts of his deep into the dark corners of his mind, into the abyss of his soul, right at the bottom of his heart.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Who are they?" Cat pointed at one of the camera feeds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A trio stalked about the terrain, quick and quiet. They were fast with their looting, grabbing and dropping materials and essentials with efficiency. Two males and one female. One with a sniper, one with a DMR, the last with a shotgun. Minimal armour. They moved on to the next looting area.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shinsuke frowned, "Trouble."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Three other squads met them halfway. The sniper was on the ball, dropping them like flies. The one with the DMR engaged herself in a CQC, eliminating her opponents with ease and precision. The one with the shotgun was the one giving directions, huddled behind cover. With the benefit of the camera's view, they could see his position about to be compromised. An opposing squad member was creeping around a corner, handgun raised and ready.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Bring up the audio for camera 12-B," Shinsuke commanded. "Zoom in, I want to see who it is."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Static, the crackle of the microphones coming to life, and then the blasting of gunfire. The technicians worked to reduce background noise level while Shinsuke also ordered them to bring up audio for squad communications as well. The camera goes out of focus, enlarging the scene before it sharpened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Tanned skin. Short but stocky build. Wearing black long sleeved shirt and pants. There was nothing to hide the power that resided in those muscles though, flexing as he shifted in position. Expression serious, face angular in the right spots. Ruggedly handsome. A scar over the corner of his lip, slashed at the cheek.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>More noise; the enemy was almost upon the hiding leader. Then, clear and crisp audio. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I have sights on their leader! Engaging!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They never stood a chance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The handgun was levelled right at his head. Be it luck or skill, the other was just quicker. Whipping around, hand reaching out to grab the wrist; twisting just slightly, hard enough to make the opponent cry out and drop his gun. The shotgun was brought up, hitting the other square in the head with the butt of the large gun. His opponent grunted at the force of the blow. Staggered. Vulnerable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was every chance to take the kill shot. Blast the other into smithereens. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The leader grappled the opponent instead, hitting him with several strikes to wear the other down. They didn't lack strength but his opponent was larger in build and sturdier. They struggled, the bigger man trying to get the short and stocky man off of him but the latter didn't let up. Ribs, armpits, solar plexus, neck; vulnerable parts for a quick incapacitate. Finally, the leader managed to get a foothold on the other's thigh. Climbing onto the others' shoulders, the leader wrapped his legs around the neck- and squeezed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(His breath hitched.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Breath cut off, the man struggled to shrug the other off of him quickly. Even tried to smash themselves into a wall; the action caused the leader to grunt in pain but he held on. Until finally, they dropped to the ground. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was still for a moment; face red, catching his breath. Then he untangled himself, reaching out two fingers to press into the assailant's neck. A tired but relieved sigh. And then he was up and collecting, stripping the other man of his possessions. Ammo, regen packs, vitality stims, raw materials and then some. He stood up, grabbing his fallen shotgun; paused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fuck," he cursed. A sharp glare- right into the camera.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The motion was done in the blink of an eye. And then the camera and audio went dead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tetsurou suppressed the shiver up his spine at the image of the man with his handgun out, as if aimed right at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fucking scavengers," Fox cursed out, a wild grin on his face. "I can't wait 'till we clear them out."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Orders were to wait and watch," Miya Osamu grounded out. "These scavengers are related to the attacks on our supply routes. We need to discover how they're doing it first."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"A mole," Cat said. "Obviously."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(There was no meaningful glance towards him. Not a single muscle twitched as he spoke aloud. Nothing that would have given Tetusurou away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hated him. He hated Cat with every fibre of his being, almost as much as he missed Kenma.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Michimiya Yui." Tetsu spoke; all eyes turned on him. "Sugawara Koshi." He smirked at their frowns.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>("Sawamura Daichi," he didn't say his name like a prayer, like his only lifeline to a better world. A world without Kenma, but a world with hope all the same.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Whoever's been feeding you information is either not very good at their job. Or, they're very good at hiding their real objective," He glanced Shinsuke, grin still mocking. "They're the ones related to the Bear incident."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shinsuke's frown deepened. "The Ephemeral who escaped."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fox cackled cruelly at that. "Oh I bet that's got Bear's anger boiling. After all these years, they're still playing him like a fiddle."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They're also still alluding Scylla," Osamu deadpanned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Regardless," Shinsuke made the order to track the scavengers down and eliminate them on site. "We have vultures to hunt. I hope you have the information you needed Kuroo."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn't; he looked at Cat, who shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Kenma shrugged a lot. He usually meant it as a yes.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, we have what we need."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Good," Shinsuke turned to face the monitors once more. "Now please get out of my tower."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(The code was simple, played on a frequency they both had stumbled upon by accident. Simple to them alone; they had worked together on it, deep into the night one time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I am the Shadow of your Forest</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Re: Ambush.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The code he received in return was simple. It made Tetsu splutter and Cat roll his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks. I miss you too.</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>written in a snapshot format, of moments scattered across the timeline of this story. may not follow in a chronological order. inspired by the music video for EXO's 'Obsession'.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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